Modular laundry box assembly

ABSTRACT

A modular utility box system includes separate supply and drain boxes. The supply box has at least one supply opening and the drain box has a drain opening but no supply openings. The supply and drain boxes are interconnectable by a generally U-shaped clip having legs spaced apart a distance selected to accept the narrow dimension of a wall stud therebetween so that the supply and drain boxes may be mounted on opposite sides of a stud. The clip also spaces the supply and drain boxes in the proper vertical and horizontal alignment to facilitate securement of a cover plate to the boxes once installed. The clips engage the boxes to permit interconnected of the boxes in multiple orientations. Elongate brackets may be used to support the erboxes between adjacent studs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.11/195,081 filed Aug. 2, 2005 and a continuation-in-part of applicationSer. No. 11/695,005 filed Mar. 31, 2007 which is a continuation-in-partof application Ser. No. 11/195,081 filed Aug. 2, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to laundry boxes such as those used to provideaccess to drain and supply lines in a wall in order to facilitate theinstallation of a washing machine.

2. Description of the Related Art

Washing machines are typically provided with connections for hot andcold water supply hoses and with a drain hose through which waste wateris expelled. These hoses need to be connected to respective hot and coldwater supply lines and to a drain line. The supply lines and drain lineare typically located inside a wall in stud bays formed betweenrespective wall studs. A laundry box is used to provide access to thesupply lines and drain line through a finished wall so that therespective hoses can be connected.

A typical laundry box comprises a box having a pair of side walls, topand bottom end walls, a back wall and an open front or face. The bottomwall will include a drain opening through which the drain line can beaccessed. A pair of supply line openings for admitting the supply linesinto the box are formed in either the top or bottom wall, depending uponthe direction from which the supply lines are plumbed. Hot and coldwater shut-off valves are mounted inside the box in communication withthe respective hot and cold supply lines. Mounting flanges are generallyprovided on the box for connecting it to one or more nearby wall studs.Wallboard is fastened to the wall studs, leaving a wall opening alignedwith the front of the laundry box. When a washing machine is installed,the hot and cold supply hoses are run into the laundry box through thewall opening and connected to the respective hot and cold shut-offvalves. Similarly, the washing machine drain hose is run into thelaundry box through the wall opening and inserted into the drain linethrough the drain opening.

In order to make installation of the laundry box more flexible, variousimproved laundry boxes have been developed which provide alternativeopenings for the drain line and/or supply lines. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 6,129,109 to Humber discloses a laundry box having drain openings inboth end walls so that the box can used both in installations where thesupply lines come from above the laundry box and installations where thesupply lines come from below the laundry box. Other patents such as U.S.Pat. No. 6,125,881 to Hobbs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,410 to Humber,and U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,286 to Geary disclose laundry boxes which areadaptable to allow the supply lines to be located either to the left orright side of the drain line.

One type of installation not allowed for by any of the prior art is onewhere the drain line is located on the opposite side of a wall stud fromthe supply lines, i.e. one where the drain line is plumbed in a stud bayadjacent to the one in which the supply lines are located. One advantageto being able to plumb the drain line in this manner is that it allows adrain line having a complete S-trap to be installed in a single stud baywithout cutting (and thereby weakening) any of the wall studs.

What is needed is a laundry box system which is versatile enough toallow the supply lines to come in from different directions, such aseither the top or bottom, to be on either side of the drain opening, andto be on the opposite side of a wall stud from the drain line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a modular utility box system which includes asupply box having at least one supply opening sized to receive a watersupply line and a separate drain box having a drain opening sized toreceive a drain line. The supply box and the drain box areinterconnectable in multiple configurations such that the supply box maybe positioned to the right or left of the drain box and may be orientedwith its supply opening or openings directed in multiple orientations,including either upwardly or downwardly. The boxes may be interconnectedusing a generally U-shaped clip having legs which are selectivelyengageable with any of the box sidewalls. The legs of the clip arespaced apart a distance selected to receive the narrow dimension of astandard wall stud therebetween such that the drain and supply boxes maybe positioned on opposite sides of a stud. The clip can also be fastenedto the stud using conventional fasteners such as nails or screw, andthus acts both to inter-connect the drain and supply boxes and to fastenthe boxes to the wall.

For installations where the supply box and drain box are to bepositioned side-by-side in the same stud bay, additional brackets areused to fasten the boxes to the wall studs. A second generally U-shapedclip can be connected to a free side wall of one of the boxes and usedto attach the already interconnected supply and drain boxes to anadjacent wall stud. Alternatively, the free side wall can be mounteddirectly to a stud using mounting flanges and nail guides formed in thebox. The end walls of the boxes include bracket receiving slots orgrooves or both sized to receive elongate mounting brackets for mountingthe boxes between adjacent studs. A pair of the elongate mountingbrackets can be mutually received through the bracket receiving slotsand grooves of both the supply and drain boxes with one bracketpositioned above the boxes and one below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front plan view of a modular utility box systeminstalled in a wall with portions of the wall removed to show watersupply and drain lines connected to the system for subsequent connectionto a washing machine water supply and drain lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.1 showing a supply box of the system secured in the wall.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of portions of the modular utility boxsystem including a supply box and a drain box secured on opposite sidesof a stud prior to installation of wallboard to the studs and a coverplate over the boxes.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front plan view of the supply box shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the supplybox taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a supply box adapted for use inproviding access to a hookup for a single water supply line such as maybe used to supply water to an ice maker.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the drain box shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front plan view of the drain box shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the drainbox taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the drainbox taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of a cover plate for the supply anddrain boxes when connected together as in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the cover plate.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a clip used to connect the supply boxto the drain box in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 14-14 ofFIG. 3 showing a brace of the clip bent 90 degrees and into engagementwith an interior surface of a C-shaped metal stud to which the clip isattached.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary front plan view showing an alternative mountingarrangement wherein the supply and drain box are mounted between twostuds with one of the boxes abutting against one of the studs and withthe supply box inverted to permit connection to supply lines plumbedabove the supply box.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary front plan view showing another alternativemounting arrangement wherein a single box is mounted between two studswithout abutting against either stud.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary perspective view of a bottom wall of the drainbox showing removal of a breakaway closure member by compressing anoffset nipple.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the drainbox taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosedherein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis forthe claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in theart to variously employ the present invention in virtually anyappropriately detailed structure. The drawings constitute a part of thisspecification and include exemplary embodiments of the present inventionand illustrate various objects and features thereof.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description forconvenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, thewords “upwardly,” “downwardly,” “rightwardly,” and “leftwardly” willrefer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Thewords “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward andaway from, respectively, the geometric center of the embodiment beingdescribed and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will includethe words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of asimilar import.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, the reference number 1generally designates a modular utility or laundry box system. As shownin FIGS. 1 and 3, the system 1 is used to provide access to hot and coldwater supply lines 3 and 5, respectively, and to a drain line 7 locatedin a wall 9 in order to allow connection of a washing machine (notshown). The wall 9 is expected to be constructed in the traditionalfashion with wallboard 10 fastened to spaced apart wall studs 11,including wood or metal studs 11. As discussed in more detail hereafter,the laundry box system 1 allows ready and removable connection ofwashing machine hot and cold water supply lines (not shown) to thesupply lines 3 and 5 and insertion of a washing machine drain hose intothe drain line 7 mounted in the wall 9. However, it is to be understoodthat the system could be used in association with other water supply anddrain line systems including water supply lines forrefrigerator/freezers and other appliances which may only utilize asingle water supply line.

The washing machine water supply lines may be connected to the supplylines 3 and 5 in wall 9 using connector assemblies or hookups 16 and 17.Each hookup 16 and 17 includes first and second connectors 18 and 19which are mounted on opposite sides of a shut-off valve 20. Each of thewall mounted water supply lines 3 and 5 are connected to a respectivefirst connector 18 and the washing machine water supply lines 13 and 14(not shown) are connected to a respective second connector 19. Theshut-off valves 20 may both be operated by a single valve actuator 21 orby separate actuators (not shown). Each of the hookups 16 and 17 mayfurther include a water hammer arrester 22. The connector assemblies orhookups 16 and 17 may be considered as forming a portion of a respectivewater supply line 3 or 5 and may also be considered part of the laundrybox system 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, showing a portion of the system 1 mounted on a stud11 prior to installation of the wall board 10 and without the hookups 16and 17, the laundry box system 1 includes a supply box 24 and a drainbox 25. The supply box 24 and drain box 25 may be mounted separately onone or more studs 11 or, as shown in FIG. 3, the boxes 24 and 25 may beconnected together and mounted to a stud 11 using one or more U-shapedclips 26 or elongate brackets 27, or other mounting structure andcombinations thereof. The boxes 24 and 25 are preferably molded fromhigh impact plastic, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or ABS(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene). In general practice, once the boxes24 and 25 are mounted in a stud wall 9, wallboard 10 with a hole cut toreceive the boxes 24 and 25 is secured to the studs 11. A cover plate 28(see FIGS. 1 and 2) is then secured to the boxes 24 and 25 providingaccess to the interiors thereof and covering the gaps between the outeredges of the boxes 24 and 25 and the edge of the hole in the wallboard10. As used herein, reference to the front of the boxes 24 and 25 is tothe side of the boxes to which the cover plate 28 is attached asgenerally shown in FIG. 2 and which are open to provide access to theinterior of the boxes.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, the supply box 24 includes a pair of side walls29, a rear wall 31, an open front side or face 32 and opposed first andsecond end walls 33 and 35, respectively. The first end wall 33 includesa pair of spaced apart supply line openings 37 each being sized toreceive the first connector 18 of the associated hook-ups 16 and 17,which may be, for example, ½″ NPS male threaded pipe connections. Thehook-ups are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but not 3-5. The openings 37 arepreferably aligned with each other along a centerline parallel to thefront edge of the first end wall 33. The hook-ups 16 and 17 may each besecured to the supply box 24 by inserting the respective connector 18through the respective opening 37 and threading a nut 38 onto theconnector 18 from outside the box 24 and tightening it against the outersurface of the first end wall 33. The overall size of the supply box 24is selected so as to provide sufficient room for the shut-off valves 20and water hammer arresters 22 to be mounted therein and provide handaccess to the shut-off valves 20. It should be noted that the supply box24 is fully reversible such that the first end wall 33 with its supplyline openings 37 may be oriented either downwardly as in FIGS. 2-5 orupwardly as in FIG. 15. The supply box 24 does not include any openingssized for coupling with or connection to the drain line 7.

If it is desired that the supply box 24 be useable as an ice-makersupply box, a single supply line opening 39 may be provided generallycentrally in the first end wall 33 of the supply box 24, as shown in thealternative embodiment of FIG. 6. The single supply line opening 39 issized to receive a single hook-up (not shown) for an ice-maker or thelike. It is also foreseen that the supply box 24 may be modified toinclude three or more supply line openings such as openings 37 and 39 tofacilitate use of the supply box 24 for multiple applications includingas a supply box for laundry supply line hook-ups or for an ice-makersupply line hook-up. The openings, such as openings 37 and 39 may beinitially covered by respective knockouts (not shown) which could thenbe selectively removed depending on whether the supply box 24 is to beused with one or two hook-ups.

Referring to FIGS. 7-10, the drain box 25 includes a pair of side walls43, a rear wall 45, an open front side 46, a top end wall 47 and abottom end wall 49. The bottom end wall 49 includes a drain line openingor bore 51 sized to receive the drain line 7, which may be, for example,2″ PVC or ABS pipe. The drain line 7 and drain line opening 51 are sizedto receive a washing machine drain hose (not shown) from a washingmachine. Washing machine drain hoses typically have outside diametersfrom 0.875 inches to 1.15 inches, or radiuses of 0.438″ to 0.575″. Thedrain box 25 does not include any openings sized to receive the supplylines 11. The bottom end wall 49 slopes downwardly from all sides towardthe drain line opening 51 to funnel any water spilled or leaking intothe drain box 25 from the washing machine drain line 15.

As best seen in FIG. 9, a sleeve or collar 53 sized to accept the drainline 7 extends downward from the bottom end wall 49 around the drainline opening 51. The drain line 7 can be attached to the collar 53 byuse of a cement or other adhesive. A pipe stop 54 projects radiallyinward from the collar 53 and forms a shoulder or stop which abutsagainst an upper end of a drain line 7 received within collar 53. Theinner diameter of the drain line 7 is generally smaller than the innerdiameter of the pipe stop 54. It is foreseen that the collar 53 could beinserted inside of a larger diameter drain line 7. When the drain line 7is inserted into or over the collar 53, the collar 53 may be describedas extending in axial alignment with the drain line 7.

A removable closure member or knockout 57 initially covers the drainline opening 51 and permits pressure testing of the drain line 7. Theclosure member 57 can be removed after pressure testing to permitinsertion of the washing machine drain hose (not shown) into the drainline 7. Portions of the closure member 57 are similar in construction tothe closure member or disk described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,291 ofJulian et al. the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the closure member 57 includes a circulardisc or wall 59 with an outer surface 59 a, an inner surface 59 b, and aperipheral rim 60 formed along a peripheral edge of the circular disc59. The rim 60 includes an inner rim section 61 and an outer rim section62. The inner rim section 61 extends inwardly (or downwardly in thedrawings) from the inner surface 59 b of the disc 59 and the outer rimsection 62 extends outwardly (or upwardly in the drawings) from theouter surface 59 a. A lower outer edge of the inner rim section 61 isconnected to the upper inner edge of the pipe stop 54 by a weakened ringor region of reduced thickness 63 to allow shearing of the inner rimsection 61 from the pipe stop 54 upon application of a shearing force tothe removable closure member 57. The outer diameter of the closuremember 57 is preferably sized to be larger than the inner diameter ofthe drain line 7 received within the collar 53 so that the closuremember 57 will not fall into the drain line 7 when removed from thedrain box 25.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 10, a hollow nipple 64 is formed in thecircular disc 59 and opens through the circular disc 59. A breakawaynipple plug 65 of reduced diameter is connected to the nipple 64 by aweakened ring to facilitate separation of the nipple plug 65 from thenipple 64. The nipple 64 and nipple plug 65 are preferably cylindricalin shape, but other geometries may be utilized. Until removed, thenipple plug 64 covers an opening in the outer end of the nipple 64. Thenipple 64, with the nipple plug 65 removed, provides structure forconnecting a conduit (not shown) thereto. The conduit may then be usedto deliver pressurized fluid to the drain line system for pressuretesting. The nipple 64 and nipple plug 65 are shown as being positionedon a nipple axis N radially offset from a center axis C of the disc 59toward the front thereof to facilitate access to the nipple 64.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, it has been found that when the hollownipple 64 is positioned in closely spaced relation to the region ofreduced thickness 63, or generally tangent to the outer rim section 62,the closure member 57 can be easily broken away from the drain lineopening 51 by gripping the nipple 64 with a pair of pliers, such asgroove joint pliers P, and squeezing so as to compress the walls of thenipple 64 radially inward. When the nipple 64 is compressed, a portionof the peripheral rim 60 proximate the nipple 64 is also pulled radiallyinward, thereby breaking the weakened ring 63 in the area where theperipheral rim 60 and nipple 64 are closest. A crack or split S is thusstarted in the weakened ring 63. Once the breaking of the weakened ring63 has begun, the remainder of the weakened ring 63 is easily broken bypulling upwardly on the nipple 64 with the pliers until the closuremember 57 breaks loose from the drain box 25.

If there is sufficient clearance to swing a hammer or the like, it isalso possible to separate the closure member 57 from the pipe stop 54 bypounding on the outer rim section 62. The rim 60 functions to hold theclosure member 57 in a single piece so that it cannot fragment and fallthrough the drain line opening 51.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the cover plate 28 generally comprises apair of interconnected cover plates or frames adapted to provide accessto the interior of the boxes 24 and 25 and cover the edges thereof.Cover plate 28 includes first and second frame collars or sleeves 66 and67 each defining a frame opening 68. A flange or fascia 69 extendsoutward around the periphery of each frame collar 66 and 67. The portionof the fascia 69 extending between the collars 66 and 67 areinterconnected to form a unitary piece. The frame collars 66 and 67 aresized and spaced to fit through the front face 32 and 46 and into theinterior of an aligned and interconnected pair of boxes 24 and 25mounted in the proper spacing and alignment such as by clip 26.

A pair of ratchet strips 70 are formed on both the upper and lower,outer surfaces of each collar 66 and 67. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 8,corresponding pawls 72 are formed along the front edge of the end walls33, 35, 47 and 49 of each supply box 24 and drain box 25. The pawls 71along the front edges of the boxes engage the aligned ratchet strips 70to secure the cover plate 28 to the boxes 24 and 25. It is foreseen thatseparate cover plates will be provided where it is desired to use only asingle box 24 or 25 or if the installer would prefer to install separatecovers over each box 24 and 25 even when properly aligned. It is alsoforeseen that the cover plate 28 could be formed to facilitateseparation of the two frame sections into separate frame sections ifdesired. However, it is believed that a single cover plate 28 with twoframe openings 68 will provide a more uniform appearance and will bepreferred.

Each of the boxes 24 and 25 includes a variety of structures tofacilitate mounting of the boxes 24 and 25 in a wall 9 including theU-shaped clips 26 and the elongated brackets or bars 27 which permitmounting of the boxes 24 and 25 in various arrangements orconfigurations, including on the same or opposite sides of a stud 11 andwith the supply box 24 oriented with the first end wall 33 (in which thesupply line openings 37 are formed) positioned as the bottom end wall orthe top end wall.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, four mounting flanges 72 are formed onand project radially outward from the sidewalls 29 and 43 of the supplybox 24 and drain box 25 respectively, near the corners thereof. Themounting flanges 72 are spaced rearwardly from a front edge of therespective boxes 24 and 25 a distance approximately equal to thethickness of the wallboard 10. Each of the mounting flanges 72 includesat least one fastener receiving hole 73 sized to receive a fastener 74,such as a nail or screw. Fasteners 74 can then be driven through thefastener receiving holes 73 of the mounting flanges 72 on one of thesidewalls 29 or 43 of either the supply box 24 or drain box 25 and intothe front face of a stud 11 to connect the respective box to the stud11.

A pair of hollow, cylindrical, fastener guides 77 are mounted to andabove both the second end wall 35 of the supply box 24 and the top endwall 47 of the drain box 25, with one fastener guide 77 positionedproximate each sidewall of the pairs of sidewalls 29 and 43. When, forexample, the supply box 24 is positioned with one of its sidewalls 29against a side of a stud 11 and the mounting flanges 72 projectingoutward from that sidewall 29 are secured to the front of the stud 11,another fastener can be driven through the fastener guide 77 associatedwith the respective sidewall 29 and into the side of the stud 11 toprovide lateral or side to side support for the supply box 24. Eachfastener guide 77 is mounted to the associated end wall 35 or 47 by web78 and support wall 79 at an angle to facilitate driving a fastener intothe stud 11 at a selected angle.

The U-shaped clips 26, one of which is shown in FIG. 13, are adapted forconnecting a supply box 24 to a drain box 25 in the proper spacing andspacial alignment to facilitate the subsequent attachment of a coverplate 28 to the interconnected boxes 24 and 25. The U-shaped clips 26are also configured to facilitate securing the boxes 24 and 25 onopposite sides of a stud 11. Each U-shaped clip 26 includes a pair ofears or legs 81 projecting rearward from and connected together by afront plate or intermediate connecting member 83. The front plate 83spaces the legs 81 apart a sufficient distance to receive the narrowdimension of one of the studs 11 therebetween and to provide the properspacing between boxes 24 and 25, connected together by the clip 26, tofacilitate connection of the cover plate 28 thereto.

The legs 81 are sized to be received in slots 84 formed in the sidewalls29 and 43 of the boxes 24 and 25 respectively. As can be seen in FIGS.3, 4 and 8, each slot 84 is formed by a pair of channel members orL-shaped guides 85 and 86 formed on the outer surface of each of thesidewalls 29 and 43 in vertically spaced and parallel alignment. A wedgeshaped catch 88 is formed on the outer surface of each sidewall 29 and43 between the L-shaped guides 85 and 86. A catch receiving hole 89 isformed in each leg 81 of clip 26. The catch 88 extends into the hole 89of a leg 81 when the leg 81 is inserted into a slot 84 to the desireddepth, where the clip front plate 83 generally extends flush with themounting flanges 72.

As noted previously, the legs Blare spaced apart a distance sufficientto receive the narrow dimension of a stud 11 therebetween. One or morefastener receiving holes 91 are formed in the clip front plate 83 tofacilitate mounting of the clip 26 to the front face of a stud 11. Asshown in FIGS. 3 and 14, with a supply box 24 mounted on one leg 81 of aclip 26 and a drain box 25 mounted on the other leg 81, the clip 26 canbe advanced over a stud 11 and then secured in place by driving one ormore fasteners through the fastener receiving holes 91 in the clip frontplate 26. Fasteners can then be driven through the appropriate mountingflanges 72 and nail guides 77 to further secure the boxes 24 and 25 inplace on opposite sides of the stud 11.

The clip 26, is sized to space the vertical edges of the sidewalls 29and 43 farthest from the stud 11 the proper distance apart to align theedges of the boxes 24 and 25 with the first and second frame collars 66and 67 of cover plate 28. The L-shaped guides 85 and 86 are alsopositioned on the sidewalls 29 and 43 to position the pawls 71 formedalong the front edge of the drain box top end wall 47 in horizontalalignment with the pawls 71 formed along the front edge of either thefirst or second end wall 33 or 35 of the supply box 24 (depending onwhich of the endwalls 33 or 35 is positioned on top) when the boxes 24and 25 are secured together by the clip 26. The clip 26 thereby ensuresthat the pawls 71 will be properly aligned with the ratchet strips 70 oneach of the cover plate collars 66 and 67.

Referring again to FIG. 13, a U-shaped channel 94 is punched into eachleg 81 of the clip 26 to form a selectively engageable strut or brace95. The braces 95 are adapted for use when the clip 26 is used inassociation with metal studs 11 having a C our U shaped cross-section.As can be seen in FIG. 14, such metal studs 11 have a web 97 on one sideand an open channel 98 on the other. When the clip 26 is attached to theface of the metal stud, the brace 95 on the open channel side can bebent 90 degrees inward to position the tip of the brace 95 against aninner surface of the web 97. The brace 95 so deployed provides lateralsupport for the clip 26 and the box 24 or 25 mounted to the associatedleg 81.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 15 and 16, elongated mounting brackets 27 may beconnected to one or more of the boxes 24 and 25 through a set ofapertures or slots 101 and grooves 103 formed in the boxes 24 and 25.The mounting bracket 27 shown is of the type generally referred to inthe industry as a Hyco Bar and comprises an elongate, relatively rigidmetal bar with equally spaced fastener receiving holes extending alongits entire length. The mounting brackets 27 may be used to make theconnection of the boxes 24 and 25 over a stud more rigid or to supportboxes 24 and 25 individually or in combination between a pair ofadjacent studs 11.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, slots 101 are formed in a slotted wallor flange 102 projecting outward and transverse to the supply box secondend wall 35 (the wall opposite the supply line openings), and the drainbox top end wall 47. The slotted flanges 102 are spaced rearward fromthe front edge of the end walls 35 and 47 a distance generallycorresponding to the thickness of the wallboard 10. A mounting bracket27 can be threaded through aligned slots 101 in adjacent boxes 24 and 25to connect the boxes 24 and 25 together in the proper vertical alignmentwithout use of the clip 26. However, use of the clip 26 is preferred tofacilitate maintaining the proper horizontal spacing of the boxes 24 and25. Because the mounting brackets 27 extend through the slots 101 onedge, the mounting brackets 27 resist vertical deflection of the boxes24 and 25 even upon application of large downwardly directed forceswhich may be applied to the top of the boxes 24 and 25 if the wallboard10 to be applied is supported on either of the boxes 24 or 25.

Grooves 103 are formed in the drain box bottom end wall 49 (see FIG. 9)and the supply box first end wall 33 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). The grooves103 extend inward from the outer surfaces of end walls 33 and 49 andextend across the width of the boxes 24 and 25 parallel to the frontedges thereof. The grooves 103 are spaced rearward from the front edgesof the end walls 33 and 49 the same distance that the slots 101 arespaced rearward from the front edges of end walls 35 and 47. An elongatebracket 27 may be inserted into or threaded through aligned grooves 103in aligned boxes 24 and 25 to support the boxes 24 and 25 as generallyshown in FIGS. 3, 15 and 16.

In applications in which the supply box 24 is inverted to position thefirst end wall 33 and the supply line openings 37 on top or above thesecond end wall 35 as shown in FIG. 15, the groove 103 in the supply boxfirst end wall 33 will be aligned with the slot 101 formed above drainbox top end wall 47. Correspondingly, the slot 101 in the supply boxsecond end wall 35 will be aligned with the groove 103 formed in thebottom end wall 49. It is foreseen that the slots 101 and grooves 103could be sized or arranged to receive other types of mounting bracketssuch as Universal Slider Brackets™ manufactured by Sioux ChiefManufacturing Company, Inc. which are described in detail in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,402,096 and 6,446,915.

Depending on the desired installation, the system 1 may be installedusing various combinations of the mounting flanges 72 and nail guides77, the U-shaped clips 26 and the mounting brackets 27 to interconnectthe boxes 24 and 25 and to connect or mount the boxes 24 and 25 to oneor more of the wall studs 11. If, for example, it is desired that theboxes 24 and 25 be located adjacent to and on opposite sides of a stud11 as in FIG. 3, the boxes 24 and 25 are connected by a single U-shapedclip 26. One leg 81 of the clip 26 is inserted into the slot 84associated with one of the side walls 29 of the supply box 24 and theother leg 81 is inserted in the slot 84 associated with one of the sidewalls 43 of the drain box 25. Note that because slots 84 are formedalong each of the side walls 29 of the supply box 24 and along each ofthe side walls 43 of the drain box 25, the supply box 24 may bepositioned either to the left or right of the drain box 25 and may beoriented with its supply line openings 37 and 39 directed eitherupwardly or downwardly.

Once the boxes 24 and 25 are connected, the U-shaped clip 26 is pushedover the stud 11 until the front plate 83 is seated against the stud 11.The system 1 is retained in position by driving fasteners into the stud11 through the fastener receiving holes 73 in the mounting flanges 72adjacent the stud 11, and through the fastener openings 91 in the clipfront plate 83. Fasteners are driven through the associated nail guides77 to secure the boxes 24 and 25 to the side of the stud 11 and helpretain the system 1 in position. Elongate mounting brackets 27 may bethreaded through aligned slots 101 and grooves 103 in the in the boxes24 and 25 and fastened to the stud 11 to provide additional verticalrigidity for the system.

If it is desired that the boxes 24 and 25 be installed side-by-side andbetween a pair of studs 11 a and 11 b as generally shown in FIG. 15, theboxes 24 and 25 are first connected together in their desiredrelationship to one another by a U-shaped clip 26 in the mannerdescribed above. Mounting brackets 27, sized to span the gap betweenstuds 11 a and 11 b, are inserted through the aligned slots 101 andgrooves 103 located along the tops and bottoms of the boxes 24 and 25.The side wall 29 or 43 to be positioned adjacent or proximate the stud11 a (sidewall 29 is shown adjacent stud 11 a in FIG. 15) can then besecured to the stud 11 a by driving fasteners through the mountingflanges 72 and nail guide 77 aligned therewith. Fasteners are alsodriven through fastener openings in the elongate mounting brackets 27 tosecure them to studs 11 a and 11 b. Alternatively a second clip 26 couldbe used to secure the box 24 or 25 to be positioned adjacent the stud 11a thereto. In such an application, one leg 81 of the second clip 26would be inserted through the slot 84 in the sidewall 29 or 43 to bepositioned adjacent the stud 11 a and the second clip could then bepositioned over the stud 11 a and the front plate 83 fastened to thestud 11 a.

It is also foreseen that one or more boxes 24 and 25 could be supportedon mounting brackets 27 spanning the gap between two adjacent studs 11 aand 11 b without use of a clip 26 to connect either the supply box 24 orthe drain box 25 to either stud 11 a or 11 b as shown in FIG. 16 withreference to an ice maker water supply box 24. Connection of the supplyline 3 and drain line 5 to the hookups in boxes 24 and 25 suspended onbrackets 27 between studs 11 will generally fix the horizontal positionof the boxes 24 or 25. In addition, the installer can drive a screwthrough one of the exposed fastener receiving openings in the bracket 27and into the portion of the slotted wall 102 extending therebehind tofixe the horizontal position of the box 24 or 25 relative to thebrackets 27.

Once the system 1 has been installed using one of the above methods andthe associated plumbing including the drain line 7 and supply lines 11are in place, the wallboard 10 can be installed over the studs 11 andgenerally flush with the front edges of the boxes 24 and 25. After thewallboard is finished, the cover plate 28 is installed to cover theedges of the wallboard and give the boxes 24 and 25 a smooth, finishedappearance.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present inventionhave been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited tothe specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. Forexample, it is foreseen that the supply box and the drain box could beconnected together by a cross-member integrally molded with the supplybox and the drain box to form an assembly formed as a single moldedpiece of plastic. The cross member would effectively replace the frontplate 83 of clip 26 and provide the proper spacing between the drain andsupply boxes and provide means for mounting the supply and drain boxeson opposite sides of a stud with the stud received between the boxes.Fastener receiving openings would preferably be formed in the crossmember to facilitate connection of the boxes to the stud positionedtherebetween.

It should also be understood that the design of the knockout or closuremember 57 disclosed herein, including the offset location of the nipple64 is not limited in application to laundry boxes, but may also be usedto removably cover openings in other types of plumbing devices,including but not limited to: test plugs similar to the one disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,769,291 and fittings such as shower drains, floordrains, closet flanges and the like. It should also be noted that theweakened ring 63 around the peripheral rim 60 need not connect theclosure member 57 to a pipe stop, but may be connected to any suitablestructure surrounding the opening which is being covered by the closuremember.

As used in the claims, identification of an element with an indefinitearticle “a” or “an” or the phrase “at least one” is intended to coverany device assembly including one or more of the elements at issue.Similarly, references to first and second elements is not intended tolimit the claims to such assemblies including only two of the elements,but rather is intended to cover two or more of the elements at issue.Only where limiting language such as “a single” or “only one” withreference to an element, is the language intended to be limited to oneof the elements specified, or any other similarly limited number ofelements.

1. A laundry box assembly for providing access to a drain line in a wallfor draining a washing machine and at least one water supply line in awall for supplying water to a washing machine, said system comprising:a) a supply box having two end walls and two side walls, one of said endwalls of said supply box having at least one supply opening formedtherein, said at least one supply opening sized to receive a respectivewater supply line; each of said side walls of said supply box having aclip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; b) a drainbox formed separate from said supply box and having a top end wall, abottom end wall and two side walls, said bottom end wall having a drainopening formed therein; said drain box further having a collar extendingoutward from said first wall and surrounding said drain opening, saidcollar sized to connect to said drain line with said drain opening insaid drain box extending in communication with the end of the drain lineconnected to said collar; each of said side walls of said drain boxhaving a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; andc) a clip for interconnecting said supply box to said drain box saidclip having a pair of legs connected together by a connecting member, afirst of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clipreceiving slots in said supply box and a second of said legs selectivelyreceivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said drain box,said legs of said clip are spaced apart a distance selected to allow thenarrow dimension of a standard wall stud to be interposed therebetween.2. The laundry box assembly as in claim 1 wherein each of said supplybox and said drain box includes an open front and said assembly furthercomprises a single cover plate securable to said supply box and saiddrain box across said open fronts, said single cover plate having firstand second access openings formed therein to provide access therethroughto said open fronts of said supply box and said drain box; wherein whensaid legs of said clip are selectively received in one of said clipreceiving slots in said supply box and in one of said clip receivingslots in said drain box, said supply box and said drain box are alignedto allow connection of said single cover plate thereto.
 3. The laundrybox assembly as in claim 1 wherein each of said water supply linesincludes a shut-off valve positioned inside of said supply box and towhich a respective washing machine supply line may be connected.
 4. Thelaundry box assembly as in claim 3 wherein no shut-off valves to which awashing machine supply line may be connected are positioned inside ofsaid drain box.
 5. A laundry box assembly for providing access to adrain line in a wall for draining water from a clothes washing machineand at least one water supply line in a wall for supplying water to aclothes washing machine, said assembly comprising: a) a supply boxincluding a first wall with at least one supply opening formed thereinand an open front, said supply opening sized to receive the water supplyline; b) a drain box formed separate from said supply box and includinga first wall having a drain opening formed therein and an open front;said drain box having a collar extending outward from said first walland surrounding said drain opening; said collar sized to connect to thedrain line with said drain opening positioned in flow communication withthe drain line; c) a connector selectively interconnecting said supplybox and said drain box on either side thereof in a spaced relationshipselected to allow the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud to beinterposed therebetween; d) a cover plate having first and second accessopenings formed therein and securable to said supply box and said drainbox in said selected spaced relationship such that said first accessopening is aligned with and provides access to a first of said openfronts of said supply box or said drain box and said second accessopening is aligned with and provides access to a second of said openfronts of said supply box or said drain box wherein when said supply boxand said drain box are interconnected by said connector, said supply boxand said drain box are aligned to allow connection of said single coverplate thereto.
 6. The laundry box assembly as in claim 5 wherein saidsupply box and said drain box each include at least one connectorreceiver formed therein for receiving a respective portion of saidconnector.
 7. The laundry box assembly as in claim 6 wherein saidconnector receivers formed on said supply box and said drain box areconfigured and located to allow said supply box to be mounted on eitherside of said drain box.
 8. The laundry box assembly as in claim 6wherein said connector receivers formed on said supply box and saiddrain box are configured and located to allow said first wall of saidsupply box having said at least one supply opening formed therein to beoriented either upwardly or downwardly when said supply box and saiddrain box are connected together and said drain opening is orienteddownwardly.
 9. The laundry box assembly as in claim 6 wherein saidconnector is securable to a stud in the wall.
 10. A laundry box assemblyfor providing access to a drain line in a wall for draining water from aclothes washing machine and a first and second water supply line in awall for supplying water to a clothes washing machine, said assemblycomprising: a) a supply box including an end wall with first and secondsupply openings formed therein, said first and second supply openingssized to receive the first and second water supply lines respectively;b) a drain box formed separate from said supply box and including an endwall having a drain opening formed therein; said drain box having acollar extending outward from said end wall and surrounding said drainopening; said collar sized to connect to the drain line with said drainopening positioned in flow communication with the drain line; c) whereinno drain openings surrounded by a collar sized to connect to the drainline are formed in said supply box; d) a connector formed separate fromsaid supply box and said drain box and connector receivers formed onsaid supply box and said drain box; portions of said connectorselectively securable to respective connector receivers on said supplybox and said drain box for interconnecting said supply box and saiddrain box, wherein said connector receivers formed on said supply boxand said drain box are configured and located to allow said supply boxto be mounted on either side of said drain box.
 11. The laundry boxassembly as in claim 10 wherein said connector receivers formed on saidsupply box and said drain box are configured and located to allow saidfirst wall of said supply box having said first and second supplyopenings formed therein to be oriented either upwardly or downwardlywhen said supply box and said drain box are connected together and saiddrain opening is oriented downwardly.
 12. The laundry box assembly as inclaim 10 wherein said connector is securable to a stud in the wall. 13.The laundry box assembly as in claim 10 wherein each of said supply boxand said drain box includes an open front and said assembly furthercomprises a single cover plate securable to said supply box and saiddrain box across said open fronts, said single cover plate having firstand second access openings formed therein to provide access therethroughto said open fronts of said supply box and said drain box.
 14. A laundrybox assembly for providing access to a drain line in a wall for drainingwater from a clothes washing machine and to first and second watersupply lines in the wall for supplying water to a clothes washingmachine through first and second washing machine supply hoses, saidassembly comprising: a) a supply box including an end wall with firstand second supply openings formed therein, said first and second watersupply lines connected to said supply box through said first and secondsupply openings respectively; first and second shut-off valves connectedto said first and second water supply lines respectively in said supplybox and to which a respective one of the first and second washingmachine hoses may be connected; b) a drain box formed separate from saidsupply box and including an end wall having a drain opening formedtherein; said drain box having a collar extending outward from said endwall and surrounding said drain opening; an end of said drain lineconnected to said collar with said drain opening positioned in flowcommunication with said end of said drain line; c) a connector formedseparate from said supply box and said drain box and connector receiversformed on said supply box and said drain box; portions of said connectorselectively securable to respective connector receivers on said supplybox and said drain box for interconnecting said supply box and saiddrain box, wherein said connector receivers formed on said supply boxand said drain box are configured and located to allow said supply boxto be mounted on either side of said drain box.
 15. The laundry boxassembly as in claim 14 wherein said supply box and said drain box eachinclude a pair of opposed sidewalls and one of said connector receiversis formed on each sidewall and forms a clip receiving slot; saidconnector comprises a clip having a pair of legs connected together by aconnecting member, a first of said legs selectively receivable withinone of said clip receiving slots in said supply box and a second of saidlegs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots insaid drain box, said legs of said clip are spaced apart a distanceselected to allow the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud to beinterposed therebetween.
 16. The laundry box assembly as in claim 15wherein said connector receivers formed on said supply box and saiddrain box are configured and located to allow said first wall of saidsupply box having said supply openings formed therein to be orientedeither upwardly or downwardly when said supply box and said drain boxare connected together and said drain opening is oriented downwardly.17. The laundry box assembly as in claim 14 wherein each of said supplybox and said drain box includes an open front and said assembly furthercomprises a single cover plate securable to said supply box and saiddrain box across said open fronts, said single cover plate having firstand second access openings formed therein to provide access therethroughto said open fronts of said supply box and said drain box.
 18. Thelaundry box assembly as in claim 1 wherein no supply openings are formedin said bottom end wall of said drain box and no drain openings with acollar extending therearound are formed in said supply box.
 19. Thelaundry box assembly as in claim 5 wherein no supply openings are formedin said first wall of said drain box and no drain openings with a collarextending therearound are formed in said supply box.
 20. The laundry boxassembly as in claim 10 wherein no supply openings are formed in saidend wall of said drain box in which said drain opening is formed and nodrain openings with a collar extending therearound are formed in saidsupply box.
 21. The laundry box assembly as in claim 14 wherein nosupply openings are formed in said end wall of said drain box in whichsaid drain opening is formed and no drain openings with a collarextending therearound are formed in said supply box.
 22. The laundry boxassembly as in claim 14 wherein said drain opening is larger than eachof said first and second supply openings and sized to receive therein adrain conduit from the clothes washing machine.